Infrastructure & grid
Capacity, cost allocation and reliability.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE OBSERVATORY
Big infrastructure. A public record.
Follow the power, water, land, money and jobs behind data centers. Put operator commitments beside utility records, community evidence and measured outcomes.
ONE FRAMEWORK · EVERY OPERATOR
What a good neighbor needs to demonstrate.
Water & land
Consumption, habitat, stormwater, noise and air.
Clean energy & community
Additional supply, enforceable benefits and net public costs.
Workforce & sourcing
Durable jobs, training outcomes and local supplier spend.
These are Junction’s published editorial weights, not an engineering certification or an official regulatory grade. They total 100 and remain fixed within gj.infrastructure.v1.2026-09-20. Show individual criteria and evidence alongside any total. A serious unresolved safety issue requires separate attention regardless of the total.
Evidence and fairness rules
- Record the source, reporting period, project boundary and actual verification date.
- Keep operator assertions, official decisions and independent measurements distinguishable.
- Hear residents, workers, utilities, businesses and operators. Weight claims by evidence; equal airtime does not make unsupported claims equally credible.
- Report missing or conflicting evidence. Publish corrections and the operator’s relevant response.
- Sponsors cannot buy a score, suppress findings or change the methodology.
VIRGINIA PROJECT WATCH
Start with the project, then examine the promises.
These are dated source records. Operator pages establish the reported project stage; they do not independently establish resource use, compliance or community outcomes. Every project below is currently unscored.
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Google Chesterfield County data center campus
Under development — operator reported
Google identifies a new campus under development in Chesterfield County.
Rating: evidence incomplete
Read the operator source ↗Source checked 2026-09-20 · Operator primary webpage
Loudoun County, Virginia
Google Loudoun County data centers
Operating facilities — operator reported
Google identifies its Loudoun data centers and records a 2021 expansion announcement.
Rating: evidence incomplete
Read the operator source ↗Source checked 2026-09-20 · Operator primary webpage
Prince William County, Virginia
Google Prince William County data center facility
Opened 2023; operating — operator reported
Google records opening a third Northern Virginia facility in Prince William County in 2023.
Rating: evidence incomplete
Read the operator source ↗Source checked 2026-09-20 · Operator primary webpage
Boydton, Mecklenburg County, Virginia
Microsoft Boydton data center
Operating — operator reported
Microsoft states that it operates a data center in Boydton.
Rating: evidence incomplete
Read the operator source ↗Source checked 2026-09-20 · Operator primary webpage
YOUR EVIDENCE WORKSPACE
Rate the project. Show the record.
This is your private working assessment, not an audited Junction rating. The same criteria apply to every operator. A promise, an approval and a measured result are different evidence.
The document checklist
Connection and capacity planning
Required records: utility, requested mw, phase, connection study, energization conditions.
Cost allocation and exit protection
Required records: tariff, customer contribution, minimum payment, stranded cost responsibility.
Load flexibility and resilience
Required records: dispatchable mw, duration hours, notice minutes, tested at.
Facility efficiency
Required records: total mwh, it mwh, measurement boundary, period.
Neighborhood and infrastructure controls
Required records: noise study, traffic plan, backup generation, emergency coordination.
Water demand and disclosure
Required records: withdrawal m3, consumption m3, peak day m3, source, period.
Drought resilience and source protection
Required records: trigger, curtailment plan, alternative mode, supply evidence.
Land conversion and siting
Required records: site acres, disturbed acres, prior use, impervious area, review records, required permit register, permit status by phase, unresolved permit gaps.
Stormwater and ecological protection
Required records: permit, inspection, correction records, control plan.
Cumulative effects
Required records: scenario date, operating projects, committed projects, proposed projects.
Energy and emissions disclosure
Required records: location estimate, contractual claim, factor vintage, accounting method.
Additional clean-energy delivery
Required records: commitment stage, generation date, contract, attribute tracking.
Enforceable community benefits
Required records: recipient, deliverable, due date, funding source, enforcement, outcome.
Transparent fiscal value
Required records: gross receipts, incentives, public costs, period, assumptions.
Job quantity and quality
Required records: construction job years, peak workers, permanent fte, contractor fte, wage bands.
Training and advancement
Required records: enrolled, completed, credentialed, placed, retained, paid training.
Local procurement
Required records: geography, eligible spend, local spend, vendor qualification, production stage.
Access and accountability
Required records: published opportunities, payment terms, accessibility, grievance route.